If your project is just starting or at the idea stage, this is the ideal time to take this two-part class. Visit the Classes Calendar page to see upcoming class dates.

Visiting Garden Educator: Teachers & Youth Gardening Year ‘Round

Urban Harvest Youth Education offers a Visiting Garden Educator Program to provide ongoing classroom training and support to classroom teachers. The aim of the program is to develop sustainability and to enhance school-wide usage of the school community garden.

Teachers and their students participate in integrated Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS) garden lessons and demonstrations presented by an UHI Garden Educator. The Garden Educator also serves as a mentor to the classroom teachers and collaborates with them to model and demonstrate how to optimally utilize the school garden.

Past participants found the program to be a great tool for integrating TEKS standards and to be a worthwhile and enjoyable experience for both the teachers and students:

"Our class enjoyed the program so much. We had a planting lesson, and planted bush beans. They were a phenomenal success! They grew and made a lot of beans. The students were so excited as we watched the growing process, supplemented by our plant unit in the room. We watched the plants grow from two leafed plants to multi-leaf, flower, and then make the "fruit", the beans. We harvested and then counted all the beans into sets of 10. We had enough . . . to send home beans for every child" – Kindergarten Teacher

After School Program

Classes held during the After School Program are led by a UHI Garden Educator who conducts hands-on lessons in lifeskills and core subjects while helping students have fun "playing in the dirt."

School gardens may include vegetable, herb, fruit or habitat gardens and ponds. We work with schools that currently have gardens, as well as those who wish to plant new ones. Through the After School Program, we work with your school to build or renovate your garden. With planning, the garden can be used throughout the school day by teachers as well as during the After School Program.

"I never liked salad before, but I liked the one we made in class with lettuce we grew from our garden!" – Adam, 2nd grader

"Science becomes real for them in the garden." – Classroom Teacher

FRESH NEWS

Starting a Community or School Garden Workshop

In this 4 hour comprehensive workshop, the presenters will take you through the process of building community, setting goals and exploring funding options, to the nuts and bolts of creating the garden and helping to ensure its sustainability. For more information or to register click here!